Parrot Training 101

African Grey Parrot Training

It’s not as difficult to get started with parrot training as you might think. It doesn’t matter if you have a young bird or an older one; you can begin training right away by teaching your bird some simple behaviors. In my opinion, one of the best things you can teach your parrot is to have a reliable step up response. In other words, you tell the bird to “step up” and it should immediately step onto your hand.

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Why is this important? For one, it allows you to remove your bird easily from its cage. Step-up also comes in handy when a parrot climbs up to your shoulder, which they sometimes do even when you try not to allow it. In this situation, some parrots may try to bite, so especially with a larger parrot the step-up command will make getting the bird off the shoulder less dangerous. You can imagine how helpful it would be to have a bird that willingly and easily steps up just in case your bird would ever escape and fly away by accident. Additionally, training your parrot to step up teaches it to cooperate with you at the same time. This is why people who are experienced with parrots often recommend beginning training with teaching the bird to step up.

Let’s Begin

The step-up command is an easy behavior to teach your pet bird. You slowly place your hand so that it is in front of your bird at around the height of its feet and in a normal speaking tone, give the command to “step up.” At first the bird is not going to understand what you want it to do, so you may need to gently press your finger against the lower torso which will cause the bird’s balance to shift backwards. As you give a gentle nudge, your bird should willingly step onto your finger. Be sure to enthusiastically praise your bird when he steps up correctly. You can then ask your bird to step-up a few additional times, encouraging your bird to go from one hand to the other. Be sure to give the step-up command each time.

Troubleshooting the Step-up Command

A few parrots will cling to the perch and just won’t let go. Wouldn’t you love to know what is going on inside those beautiful heads of theirs? In any case, here’s a way to handle this situation that usually works. Keep your one hand in front of the bird and move your other hand behind just a few inches away. What this does is it gives the parrot a choice of stepping up or being picked up from behind, something that most birds do not enjoy. For most parrots, the choice is an easy one since it would rather step up than be picked up in this manner. Always remember to enthusiastically praise your bird when it does the correct behavior.

Regular Practice

To get the best results, continue to practice step-up with your parrot. It’s really best to practice every day at the beginning. Even after the bird has this command down, you should reinforce the behavior with occasional practice sessions throughout its life. If you practice the step-up command consistently, you will be rewarded with a more cooperative pet and who knows, it might just save its life one day. Congratulations, you are now on your way to the parrot training hall of fame.